Effect of "Wooden Breast" appearance on poultry meat quality, histological traits, and lesions characterization

Abstract

Dalle Zotte A., Tasoniero G., Puolanne E., Remignon H., Cecchinato M., Catelli E., Cullere M. (2017): Effect of "Wooden Breast" appearance on poultry meat quality, histological traits, and lesions characterization. Czech J. Anim. Sci., 62, 51-57.The purposes of the study were to investigate the effects of Wooden Breast (WB) myodegeneration on poultry meat quality and to give a contribution in typing lesions morphology. At a poultry meat cutting facility, 474 carcasses of a high-breast-yield hybrid chickens were inspected for WB condition, and 30 normal (N) and 30 affected (WB) breast fillets (Pectoralis major) were randomly selected. The WB condition represented 53.2% of the examined carcasses. Weight, cross sectional area (CSA), pH, L*, a*, b* colour values, water-holding capacity, and Warner-Bratzler shear force were determined. Samples were also visually and histologically evaluated. Affected samples were heavier, thicker, paler (P < 0.001), and characterized by palpatory hardness and lower water holding capacity (P < 0.05). Macroscopically, abnormalities were primarily localized in the cranial portion of the fillet and defined by the presence of bulges, petechiae, fluid and clear exudate, and higher pH. Microscopically, the WB condition was characterized by muscle fibres with greater CSA (P < 0.001) and higher giant fibres prevalence (P < 0.01). Data suggest a relationship between breast weight and WB condition.

Impact of chicken wooden breast on quality and oxidative stability of raw and cooked sausages subjected to frozen storage

“…for WBs. However, the color characterization of WB chicken is still divergent, mainly due to the points of bleeding that change the meat surface …”

“…However, the color characterization of WB chicken is still divergent, mainly due to the points of bleeding that change the meat surface. 2,15,16,33 TPA and tenderness during frozen storage of WB chicken sausage Figure 3 shows the effect of WB and storage time on the SF and texture profile analysis (TPA) values of the chicken sausages.…”

Wooden‐Breast, White Striping, and Spaghetti Meat: Causes, Consequences and Consumer Perception of Emerging Broiler Meat Abnormalities

“…There is a consensus on the impaired functionality of WB and WS and that such adverse condition is more intense at higher severity degrees of the myopathy (Tijare et al., ). Among the three muscle lesion types, WB displays particularly poor functionality which is manifested in low yields, impaired marinade uptake and reduced ability to hold water under both raw (increased drip loss) and heat treatment conditions (increased cooking loss) (Dalgaard et al., ; Dalle‐Zotte et al., ; Kuttappan et al., , Mudalal et al., ; Soglia et al., ). Bowker, Maxwell, Zhuang, and Adhikari () recently evaluated the performance of severe WB fillets during marination (0.75% NaCl/0.45 sodium phosphate) and oven‐cooking (78 °C) and found that the marinade uptake and subsequent retention was lower in WB samples than in the normal counterparts.…”

“…The overall appearance of the breasts affected by the myopathies reported in this review is clearly altered as compared to a normal breast muscle (Figure ) and that is a direct consequence of the histological hallmarks of each myopathy: presence of out‐bulging and pale areas of hardened consistency in WB, appearance of white striations of variable thickness parallel to the muscle fibers direction in WS, and the disintegration of the muscle tissue in fiber bundles in SM. Instrumental measurement of the color of WB typically results in elevated lightness ( L * ) (Dalle Zotte et al., ) and increased yellowness ( b * ) (Kuttappan et al., ) with this alterations being worsened at higher degrees of severity (Tasoniero, Cullere, Cecchinato, Puolanne, & Dalle Zotte, ). Discoloration may also be noticeable upon cooking as recently reported by Zhuang and Bowker () who found that the surface of cooked WB fillets was darker, redder, and more yellow than that of fillets without the WB condition.…”

“…Dalle Zotte et al. () also made a worthy attempt to evaluate the impact of WB appearance on the quality that consumers may perceive. According to this study, WB myodegeneration worsens meat quality traits and the visual appearance of the affected breasts through the occurrence of bulges, petechiae, and exudate.…”